


Playdates

by robinasnyder



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Daycare, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-17 21:02:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13085310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robinasnyder/pseuds/robinasnyder
Summary: Techie and Armitage have very similar tastes in men. They both like tall, muscular men. But Armitage prefers men with cruel personalities, while Techie has always preferred kindness. After meeting Kylo Ren, Armie's tall, muscular mean boyfriend, Techie isn't feeling particularly hopeful about Ren's brother Matt. He's surprised when he meets Matt and Matt is tall, muscular, and full of kindness all focused on the little Rodian boy he had adopted. Techie's heart never stood a chance.





	Playdates

**Author's Note:**

  * For [starkickback](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starkickback/gifts).



They had a new child coming to their daycare. Techie always got equal parts nervous and excited when he heard there would be new children. Before Armie had found him, Techie had lived with a gang who hated and reviled all non-human sentient species. It had only been since Armie had grabbed Techie and taken him to Coruscant that Techie spent any significant amount of time around non-humans. As such, he spent a significant amount of time researching things about other species, just in case.

But he knew this one was probably going to be human. Armie said his boyfriend’s brother adopted a kid and needed some help with child raising. Techie hadn’t met Armie’s boyfriend, but from the nasty little sneer Armie got on his face sometimes, Techie could guess that the mysterious Ren was probably pretty nasty himself. But Armie really liked guys who could be mean, so he was happy.

Techie, on the other hand, didn’t. That was why he agreed to accept the child to the daycare almost instantly. Even before Armie had all his words out, Techie knew he wanted to provide a loving, stable place for this child, since Techie couldn’t be certain if Ren’s brother was a good guy or not.

Hux Brothers Daycare had been around for about three years. Techie knew he loved it as much as Hux didn’t. Daycares didn’t really make that much money. They lived together in a small apartment on the midlevels of Coruscant and only got to see the sun on really bright days. Techie often got chewed out by Armie for allowing parents to bring payment late or on a more flexible schedule. But Techie knew how close they were to the lower levels, and the lower it got, the less people often had. Having once been someone who didn’t even own the clothes he’d worn, Techie was very sympathetic.

Techie had two other daycare workers on staff with him at all times, at least. Armie was in the building just as often as Techie was, but Armie only worked on the accounts, legal issues and advertisement. Armie was great at drawing people in, but he was truly abominable with children. 

The daycare had once been a planetarium that had belonged to Coruscant University a hundred or more years back before the University had moved to the upper levels. Armie had gotten the old planetarium at a steal and had programmed a vast number of broken droids that had been destined to be scrapped to help them remodel. The results were a little spectacular, if Techie said so himself.

The child care center was the main auditorium with all the working stars. The ceiling was high and beautiful and the closest many of the kids would ever get to seeing the night sky. They’d used springy, padded flooring for safety, and every time Techie walked across the floor her felt like he might be able to start jumping high enough to reach the ceiling. The kinds loved it too. It had been another little innovation that Armie had come up with.

Techie had picked circular designs for the room. The room itself was a big circle, but all the furniture was a circle, round or had rounded edges. Techie read somewhere that circles were friendly. He’d wanted the daycare to feel friendly. They kept all of their kids in the one room, from the babies to the kids right on the cusp of being old enough for public school.

Each age had its own section and its own care droid. Armie had reprogramed the droids who’d helped them build the place to be child care droids. They had all the charm and charisma of metal and death, and voices to match. Techie had begged Armie more than once to program them better, but Armie had told Techie that the droid who raised Armie had been exactly like the child care droids Armie built for the daycare, just with a more standard body.

That fact alone told Techie a lot about why his brother was the way he was.

But the fact was that the kids loved the droids for whatever reason. And Techie made certain there were never more than ten kids for every one sentient adult Daycare worker, so there were at least enough hands to help and hold.

Outside of the actual daycare room itself were varying rooms. A nurses station which had a couple of medical droids, a kitchen with kitchen droids, the office that Armie practically lived in, a parent observation room so parents could look in on their kids while they played, but which had one way glass so the kids couldn’t see the adults. This room was also monitored by a droid. Just in case. And of course there was the front desk. The reception area still looked a lot like it belonged to a college, not to a daycare. It was stuffy and outdated, but they had spent most of their money on making the actual daycare room as nice as possible. And that had been most important.

It was the beginning of the week and most of the children had already been brought in. There were flexible hours, so parents could bring their kids in when their work started, but a lot of the children came in at predictable schedules. Techie wanted to offer an evening service where the kids could get dinner, a bath and sleep until their parents got them the next morning. Armie was fighting it, but Techie was sure he’d win out eventually.

Still, Techie was waiting at the front desk while the other adults in charge herded the kids for early morning snacks. Ren’s brother was coming today and Techie was a little anxious to meet him. According to Armie, Ren and his brother were both big guys. But when a man who had to simultaneously duck his head and bend his knees to avoid hitting his head entered, Techie found himself taken aback.

It was an extra hot summer season, on a city plant where the amount of buildings held the heat in and wouldn’t let it go. Even well air conditioned buildings tended to still be fairly warm, so Techie was used to seeing people at least partially not dressed. And he was used to parents dropping off their children while wearing their uniforms. But he’d never seen any parent walk into the daycare dressed in coveralls that had been stripped off at the top and tied off at the waist so only a somewhat sweaty wifebeater covered their chest.

Ren’s brother was every bit as tall as Techie imagined. He was wearing the standard washed out green of a uniform for the military complexes worn by non-cloned workers. He was blonde, with glasses that belonged on a much older man, with shocking brown eyes, a lot of moles and the kind of body that made Techie’s heart pound in his ears.

No wonder Armie was so nuts for Ren, if he looked anything like that.

“Are you Ren’s brother?” Techie asked.

“Matt,” the man said. “And this is Kieertish.”

Techie felt like a massive idiot then. He had only just noticed that Matt had a baby, and a non-human baby at that, in his arms once Matt introduced him.

Kieertish was a small Rodian baby with eyes very much like the galaxy. He made a soft yawning noise and blinked at Techie. Techie’s heart melted. He’d never seen a baby Rodian in early life before, though he’d read an awful lot about them.

“Hello Kieertish,” Techie cooed. “My name is Techie. I’m so happy to meet you.” Techie held out his hand to Kieertish, who grabbed it and shook it with vigor. Techie grinned broadly. “Matt, he’s so cute.”

“I know,” Matt said proudly.

Techie glanced up at Matt. He had to straighten up when he did. Matt was smiling, Matt looked beautiful when he was smiling. Techie cleared his throat and tried to will his blush away.

“So, yes, my brother said that you work and needed a place for Kieetish. Are they regular hours?”

“Not even remotely,” Matt said. He shifted Kieertish in his arms. The baby snuggled into his chest. Matt looked down at the baby in his arms and smiled in a way that reminded Techie very much of sunshine. “Not even fulltime. And they move my hours all over. Ren can generally over at night… but?”

“Well, the daycare wouldn’t be open then, but I can watch him,” Techie said. He said it before he even thought it all the way through. Matt looked so concerned when he looked at Kieertish, Techie couldn’t stand it.

“You don’t have to,” Matt said quickly.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” Techie said. “I know there’s safety procedures normally, but our brothers are dating.” And it would probably having the added benefit of forcing Armie to implement Techie’s idea of overnight daycare.

Matt looked relieved. “Thank you, really. I’ll try to tell you when I’ll be here, but I rarely ever get more than half hours, but they’re all spaced out really weirdly and Ren is… unreliable.”

That sounded awful. Techie knew he was frowning. “What do you do?”

“Radar technician,” Matt said. “But I’m an independent contractor.”

“Ah,” Techie said. “So, there’s some paperwork to fill out. I know Armitage waived fees for the first two months.”

“Really?” Matt asked, sounding shocked.

Techie’s frown deepened. Had Ren not told his own brother? Maybe he thought it would be a surprise, but Techie knew that Armie said he’d told Ren.

“Yes,” Techie said. “But I need to register emergency contact information.”

“Oh, yeah, Ren sent me with a card for that,” Matt said. He fished the card out from his pocket and handed it to Techie.

The card was a low tech thing. Techie had to type the information in himself, which he didn’t mind. It had Matt and Kylo Ren’s information on there, in case anything happened. Kieertish cooed contently from Matt’s arms while Techie worked. Occasionally Techie would glance up and see how content the baby was. Techie did a quick vitals scan on the child. It showed all the signs of feeling safe and happy with his dad. Good. That was as it should be.

Techie would ask Matt questions occasionally as he filled in the paperwork. Matt answered every question as well as he could. He didn’t know the weight of his child, but he knew what vaccination he’d gotten and what his blood type was, and even which human blood types would interact properly in an emergency.

“Alright,” Techie said. “I just need you to sign this and you can leave Kieertish here.” He turned the datapad around so Matt could sign.

Matt ignored the stylus and signed with his finger. It was something that really pissed Armie off, and that Techie wasn’t really a fan of. But when Matt did it, Techie just found it really charming.

“Okay, Big Boy,” Matt said. He eased Kieertish off his hip and into Techie’s waiting arms. “I’ll be back after work. You be good for Techie?”

Kieertish cooed and snuggled right into Techie. Techie hugged the child against him.

“He seems like he’s easy,” Techie noted.

“Only with people he feels are safe. It took forever for him to stop screaming when Ren picked him up,” Matt said dryly. “You must put off good vibes in the Force or something.”

Techie laughed softly, careful not to jostle the baby in his arms. He didn’t know about that. Techie felt like he was probably tainted or something. He’d been called pure more than once by men who had wanted to hurt him, or who put up a good veneer of a lover until they got to sex. But Techie knew after his life of being owned that he wasn’t pure or good. He imagined that he put off darkness in the Force.

But Matt wasn’t even looking at him. His comment was based only on Kieertish who seemed like he wanted to fall asleep in Techie’s arms. Matt’s eyes were on the baby only, and Techie could see the way Matt loved the little boy. Armie insisted that an adopted parent couldn’t love their child as much as a real parent could, and more so if the child didn’t even look like their adopted parent.

But Techie was pretty certain that was half Armie trying to deal with the way their father treated him, and half attempting to deal with the fallout of Rae Sloane. Techie never got a lot of details about either of them, but Techie could see the pain even without having to hear about it.

“I’ll be back when my shift’s over,” Matt said. He seemed reluctant to go.

Techie offered him a kind smile. Nervous parents. He was used to it, but it was absolutely adorable on Matt. “He’ll be fine,” Techie said.

Matt let out a soft huff. “I know. I know. Thank you.” He turned and walked out. Kieertish was asleep on Techie’s chest, so there was so reason to try and say goodbye.

Techie turned away and took Kieertish back to the nursery. He intended to put the baby into a crib for naps, but he found himself sitting in his favorite rocking chair instead, Kieertish asleep on his chest. He didn’t know how he’d ended up there, but he felt so content that he decided it didn’t matter.

* * *

Matt brought Kieertish every day for two weeks with no incident. Matt always seemed reluctant to go. He always made extra small talk so he wouldn’t have to leave immediately. At the end of the day when he came to get his child, Kieertish would have already gotten up and toddled over to the door like he knew his father was about to be there.

Maybe he did. Techie, admittedly, didn’t know all that much about Rodians. Maybe they had really good hearing. He’d never read anything about that before. But Kieertish always knew and Matt never seemed surprised to see Kieertish, only relieved and happy.

About two days a week Matt had a shift that was broken up so he could come and eat lunch with Kieertish. This was allowed, and generally the parents ate alone with their child. Kieertish would be there waiting for Matt. Matt would scoop up his son and sit himself at one of the small tables in one of the tiny chairs. Techie nearly had to fold himself in half to sit in those chairs. It looked even more ridiculous with Matt, who practically had to sit with his knees at the level of his ears to fit into the seat.

Matt never brought lunch on those days. He would feed Kieertish, whispering little rhymes or humming to the baby, who soaked up the attention. He would walk around with Kieertish on his shoulder, rubbing his back, treating Kieertish like a baby who was much younger than Kieertish actually was. Kieertish was a toddler who could get around well on his own. But Matt seemed to like holding him every second. And Kieertish always had an easier time getting to sleep if someone would hold him until he was sound asleep.

If Techie wanted Kieertish to sleep for a long time he’d have to hold the entire time. But after lunch naps didn’t have to be too long. And it gave Matt a way to escape without too much fuss from either of them, although Matt always, always looked like he was leaving his heart behind whenever he had to leave Kieertish.

For two weeks Matt had somewhat regular hours, at least he could come get Kieertish before Techie was super late getting home for dinner. Then one lunch time Matt arrived with his brow furrowed. He scooped Kieertish up off the ground and snuggled his son to his absolutely magnificent chest. Techie told himself he was looking at Kieertish, not Matt. But he also knew he was lying.

“What’s wrong?” Techie asked, smothering the totally inappropriate urge to stroke Matt’s brow and try to make the worry lines go away.

“Does your offer to watch Kie overnight still stand?” Matt spoke quietly, and Techie was glad for it. The last thing they needed was one of the kids repeating that another kid had stayed over at Techie’s house for there to be a problem. An easily explained and sorted out problem, but not one they needed. Techie spent half his day making certain everything from first steps to cough to bumped heads were logged, just in case someone got upset about how he ran the daycare.

“Yes, it does,” Techie said quietly. “I thought you said this would happen somewhat often.”

“I did everything I could to keep them from scheduling me that way for as long as possible. But my luck ran out,” Matt said. He looked more than a little bitter. Again, Techie had to smother a totally inappropriate urge. This time it was the urge to offer Matt to kiss him and make it better.

“It’s fine,” Techie said quietly with a little smile. “Kieertish and I get along great, don’t we, little buddy?”

Kieertish made a noise that wasn’t a word yet, but probably would be pretty soon. Kieertish had limited words, mostly “Ma-Ma” which meant “Matt” (And was rapidly adding a positive feeling to a word which had been absolutely broken and ruined for him for so long) or “Te-Te” which Matt informed Techie actually meant “Techie”. Otherwise, Kieertish just cooed. Techie had been informed by Rodian child raising books that this was normal for Rodians that age.

“Te-Te”, Kieertish proclaimed in that little baby voice that always melted Techie’s heart.

“Good,” Techie said, grinning despite himself. “See, he says it’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, he does,” Matt said in an almost grumble that made Techie laugh.

Matt followed that up with a smile that made Techie’s cheeks turn pink. He had to fan himself and pretend that he’d laughed too hard to try and cover. Matt didn’t seem to notice either way. Techie didn’t know if that was good or not. But Matt never seemed to notice the stupid, embarrassing things Techie did because of his crush. But then, Matt never showed any interest in anything but his son. It was good and frustrating at the same time.

“So, when did you need him to stay?” Techie asked.

“Tomorrow night? I’ll pack extra clothes and his soaps and towels and toys and books and stuff. You don’t need to worry.” But Matt sure looked like the one who was worried.

“Matt, it’ll be fine. I take care of kids all the time,” Techie said.

Matt gave a weak chuckle. “You’re right. Sorry. I’m sorry. My brother is just like the worst babysitter ever. He actually gave Kie caff once. I thought I was going to have to kill Ren, I swear,” Matt grumbled.

Techie shivered. That wasn’t something he wanted to picture. “Well,” he said delicately. “At least you know I won’t do that.”

“Yeah,” Matt said. “You’re right. I trust you, Tech.”

Techie felt like there was someone singing in his ears. No one had ever called him ‘Tech’ before. Not like a nickname anyway. Techie loved it instantly. He pulled on a grin much larger than what the situation called for.

“Well, you just remember to bring what he needs, and I’ll take care of the rest,” Techie said.

Matt smiled back, the worry just melting off his face. Techie’s heart soared. “Yeah. I will. Thank you.”

* * *

Techie had to bring one of the cribs home from the daycare. It was a huge pain the ass to do, but Techie didn’t even care. It felt good knowing he’d done something tangibly difficult for Matt and Kieertish. It made the extended babysitting feel all the more special.

Matt brought Techie a few hours later than a he normally did, but that was because his hours ran so late. It was after lunch by the time Matt brought Techie, this time with the parents who needed their kids to stay different hours than the morning crowd. There were plenty of kids who Kieertish would know, so Techie wasn’t worried. But Kieertish was also not being picked up at all until the next day. Matt looked like a mess when he dropped Kieertish off, and Kieertish didn’t look very happy either.

Techie had to hold Kieertish for quite a while to help him settle and get his afternoon nap.

The rest of the afternoon flew by, and by the time it was after dinner and pick up time was over, Techie was feeling very grumpy himself. Kieertish was the last child still playing. Everyone else was gone and the last two workers had already done clean up. Armie had lock up, so Techie gathered Kie’s bags and Kieertish and walked out with him toward the tram.

Kieertish held Techie’s hand as they walked. He toddled along until they actually got to the tram, which was too far for Techie to carry Kieertish. But Kieertish seemed totally happy with this and cooed with excitement whenever they passed anything even remotely interesting, which in on a city planet like Coruscant, was basically everything.

When they got to the Tram, Techie scooped Kieertish up. On the upper levels, the Tram could be busy, but there were seats where there could sit. Techie didn’t feel safe letting Kieertish just stand and hold his hand. As the Tram headed into a slightly more mid-level area, Techie wondered if that was why Matt was always carrying his son around. He knew from Armie that Ren and Matt lived in the lower levels. Techie didn’t want to put Kie down even in the mid-levels. How must Matt feel raising where he did? How must any of the other parents?

Techie had to set Kieertish down after they left the tram station. Kieertish held his hand and didn’t fuss. He didn’t live too far from the Tram, and the night was clear enough that they could see the stars, even if they seemed even further away than they did at Peachtree Station.

Their apartment was a few floors up in the turbolift. They actually had one of the highest apartments in their building, but then their building still capped out at the midlevel, but they had a really cool skylight that Techie opened sometimes to just let in the sounds of the city. Techie had lived in a city for all of the life he could remember.

Techie let Kieertish go look around while he put the bags down. Matt had packed Kieertish’s normal bag along with a second with supplies for overnight. Techie opened the second bag and found an actual flimsi letter on top. The envelope was thickly stuffed with flimsi and Techie started smiling as soon as he started reading.

Matt was one of the most thorough parents Techie had ever met who also wasn’t over protective. And Techie appreciated it. The pages listed the types of snacks and food Kieertish could eat, talked about bath time, which was apparently very important and all the other things a growing Rodian would need that a human wouldn’t. Matt also detailed what Kieertish wouldn’t need that a human child would.

“Okay, Kie, bathtime,” Techie said once he’d finished reading the letter. He looked up and saw one of Armie’s knick knacks drop to the ground. “Kie! No” He said quickly.

Kie sniffled and then began to cry. Techie rushed over, cursing himself for letting Kieertish explore a non-baby-proofed house while he read such a long letter. Techie gathered Kieertish into his arms and rocked him and until Kie’s tears receded and his cries settled into sad sniffles.

“Sorry for raising my voice,” Techie said quietly. He bent down and grabbed he heavy glass bauble. He felt a little jolt of fear. The bauble sat on a high shelf normally. Techie had to stand on his toes to put it back in its place.

He quickly soothed himself by reminding himself that there was no way to Kieertish to climb that high and not have Techie notice. Armie must have moved the globe… although Techie had a hard time believing that Armie would move the offending item from its place. Armie lived by “everything thing has its place, and there’s a place for everything.” Mostly it manifested itself in Armie’s obsessive tidiness which Techie blamed on their father.

But there was no way Kieertish could have gotten the item down on his own. He was simply too short and too little to be able to even use tools. And the globe would have made a hell of a sound if it had dropped. It had made a loud enough sound only dropping a few centimeters. It was just too heavy. Kieertish was lucky he hadn’t dropped it on himself, really.

Techie gathered the letter and the second bag and went to the bathroom. Their apartment only had one bathroom, but the tub was big enough that both brothers could fully submerge themselves fully and raise their arms above their head in a full stroke without them hitting their hands on any part of the tub. And it was deep enough for them to sit with their chests covered by water. Both of them could float on top of the water if they wanted. It was the absolute best part of their apartment, and it made up for their small bedrooms and living room.

Techie filled the water with warm, not hot water and added the powder Matt had sent, using his eyes to get the ratio what Matt said it needed to be. According to Matt’s letter, Rodians were semi amphibious and Kieertish needed at least one, but ideally two or more hours of in water time. Matt’s letter explained that older Rodians didn’t need it as much as babies and children did. Matt had also sent a lotion that needed to be applied as soon as Kieertish was done bathing to keep the moisture in his skin. 

Techie helped Kieertish out of his little coveralls and into the tub. The letter detailed how newborn Rodians knew how to swim. Kieertish, true to the letter, let out a happy trill and began swimming around the tub, which was big and comfy for the Hux brothers, but like a small swimming pool for the little Rodian.

Techie rolled up his sleeves and sat on the steps that led up to the tub. He leaned against the tub while he got the tub toys Matt had sent and got them in the water. Then he just leaned against the side of the tub and idly flicked his hand across the water while he watched Kieertish come alive in the tub.

Kieertish swam liked he belonged there. Techie kept track of time via his eyes. It meant he could just watch Kieertish swim and not feel particularly rushed or worried.

He heard the door slam shut, but Techie didn’t jolt. Armie wasn’t able to close a door without being loud, even the sliding doors made to move silently, like their front door was. Techie wondered idly if Armie had installed a sound effect. If he had, Techie actually liked it. Before Armie, loud noises frightened him, especially doors slamming because it meant someone was angry and someone was probably going to take it out on him.

But now it was almost comforting. It was Armie and Armie was safe.

“Techie?” Armitage called.

“Back here,” Techie said. He didn’t want to shout near Kieertish. Though Kieertish didn’t seem particularly bothered. Techie was glad Kie hadn’t been perturbed by the noise. Although if he’d been around Ren any length of time then he was also probably used to it.

Armitage walked into the bathroom. He looked tired and worn. Techie’s heart squeezed a little. Armie really, really didn’t enjoy the daycare. He threw everything he had into it, though. He’d created it to give Techie a safe place and a job he could work. Armie never complained or made any verbal indication of how much he hated the daycare. He didn’t do much to physically indicate how much he hated it either. He never used any means to guilt Techie about it at all, and Techie knew a lot about guilt.

But Techie knew that Armie hated it. He remembered when Armitage had first shown up at Peachtree. He’d looked like fire and purpose. He’d actually loved the rogue military life. But he’d abandoned it all for Techie. And he never did anything to make Techie feel bad.

The funny thing with Armie is that Techie didn’t feel bad. Armie was so big about personal choice. He chose their life. He chose Techie. Techie didn’t feel bad about Armie’s choice. He just wished that his brother could be happy too. That was why he never complained about Kylo Ren. Oddly enough, with Ren, Armie almost looked like his old self.

“What’s that?” Armie asked, his tired gaze on Kieertish.

“This is Kieertish,” Techie said. “Matt’s child. You know, Ren’s brother?”

“Oh,” Armie said. “Why is he here?”

“Matt works nights. I offered. Figured if I was taking care of him then you could spend more time with Ren,” Techie said.

Armie’s lips twitched in an almost smile. “Why wouldn’t Ren’s brother want Ren to watch him?” Techie smiled back at his brother. Armie was good at seeing the things people weren’t saying.

“Apparently, Ren gave Kie caff one time,” Techie said solemnly.

A shudder ran through Armie’s entire body. He pressed his hands into his face and let out a groan. “Hell, that sounds exactly like something Ren would do, doesn’t it?”

“Matt wasn’t very happy about it either,” Techie said, biting his bottom lip to try and not grin as broadly as he wanted it. He couldn’t quite contain himself so he turned to look at Kieertish instead.

Kieertish had swam over to the edge of the tub and was leaning against the side. He cooed at Techie. Techie smiled freely at the little boy. He stroked his head and his antenna. Kieertish let out a little warble. According to Matt’s letter, Kie really liked preening, but Techie had noticed that himself from spending time with the boy.

“I figure if this goes well tonight that I can tell you ahead of time and maybe you can make more time with Ren?” Techie offered. He didn’t have to look at Armie to know he was thinking about it.

“Your offering is acceptable,” Armie said.

“We still have to buy another crib for the daycare, though.”

“Yeah, fine,” Armie said. His voice began to fade as he strode out of the bathroom and down the hall.

Techie smiled at Kieertish. “Don’t mind him. He acts all evil, but he loves me. And he loves your Uncle Ren. I can tell.”

Kieertish made a noise like he agreed and then went back to swimming. Techie settled back and rested his head on his arms, watching Kieertish enjoy himself in their big bathtub.

* * *

“Thank you so much for taking Kie,” Matt said the next time Techie saw him. And then he said it again and again for the next three days, like he couldn’t help himself. Techie didn’t mind. It always made him feel a little warm inside. About the sixth time Matt did this, though, Techie started to wonder if something was wrong.

“You know you don’t have to keep thanking me,” Techie said. “I really enjoyed it. Kieertish is a joy. I’m happy to watch him again.”

Matt flushed, which Techie instantly found super endearing. “I… yeah, I know I guess,” Matt mumbled. Kieertish was cradled in his arms like he was every morning. The little boy patted Matt’s chest in an unmistakable ‘there, there’ motion.

“Matt,” Techie said, a lot of uncertainty in his tone. What did he ask? How did he ask? He just couldn’t allow the awkward silence that was now between them to spread any more. “I… I’m sorry. Is something wrong?”

“What? No? I mean there’s no reason for you to apologize because you haven’t done anything,” Matt said quickly.

“But, something is wrong?”

Matt hesitated for a moment. Kieertish patted his chest again. Techie watched Matt look down at the little boy in his arms. The look on Matt’s face was complicated. There was pain, but also a lot of love as he looked at the baby in his arms.

“I’m… not exactly used to people doing nice things for me. I’m not… I mean I’m only a little more used to people doing nice stuff for Kie. But this is more than just nice.” Matt was mumbling and Techie hated it.

“I understand,” Techie said. He pulled his hair up so Matt could see the brand on his forehead. Techie vividly remembered when the slashing tattoo had been inscribed into his skin. He’d been medically paralyzed and tied down so he wouldn’t squirm, but he’d been fully awake and they’d dug the needle in deep enough to leave grooves in his skull which were still there.

Techie hadn’t been allowed to cover it up, not ever. When Armitage had first found him, Techie had covered his brand with a hat or his hair or anything. But he discovered that kids like to pull his hair and that a hat got to be too much trouble pretty quickly. Besides, the kids didn’t care that it looked weird. They cared if he loved them, and he did.

“A tattoo?” Matt asked.

“I didn’t grow up with my brother… I was captured,” he said. “When I was a baby.”

“Oh,” Matt said. For a moment he was still, then pure fury passed over his face. “It’s an ownership mark?” he asked.

“For the production house I came from… they branded gender. For me it was on my forehead because they said I looked like a girl too much,” Techie said quietly. He gathered his hair up and pulled it back like he always did when he was heading to take care of the kids. Matt was following the action of his hands, not staring at the mark on his head.

“Have you thought about getting it removed?”

“The ink they used is very, very hard to remove and leaves a scar. And I’ve learned to not let it bother me. A lot of people have tattoos in core worlds. They don’t know what it means in the outer rim and wild space… and to be honest, it is part of me. Why should I pretend that it’s not?”

He had glanced off to the side as she finished talking and putting his hair up. When she met Matt’s gaze again he saw a look of pure respect on Matt’s face. Techie felt his cheeks heat up.

“What?” Techie asked. He thought for a minute he sounded like Armie when he was snapping about something. He was about to apologize for being so short, but Matt’s face broke into a grin. A beautiful grin that made Techie’s knees go weak.

“Dude, you’re really cool,” Matt said. It was a pronouncement the likes of which Techie had been certain he would never, ever hear about himself. He felt a little flabbergasted about it, to be honest.

“Really?” Techie squeaked out.

“It’s super cool to go through so much shit and come out really sweet. You’re so great with the kids. That’s like a choice and stuff. I know being kind isn’t easy. It’s so freaking cool that you’re so kind after all that. It’s like the raddest, most wizard thing I’ve ever seen.” Matt was beaming like the sun.

Techie was pretty certain his face had never, ever been so red in his life. Thankfully, though, Kieertish seemed to understand enough to take pity on Techie. Kie reached for him, so Techie scooped him right out of Matt’s arms and held Kie to his chest. He curled up a bit, hunching his shoulder and looking down at Kie who peered up at Techie with his galaxy eyes. Kie let out a little trill which Techie found very soothing.

Slowly, the tension left Techie’s shoulders. He calmed, not even feeling bad that there was silence between him and Matt, even though he did notice. It was just all okay. Looking at Kie’s face and feeling the slightly lower warmth of the small Rodian body in his arms, it felt like everything would all be okay.

Techie was smiling softly when he finally looked back up at Matt. Matt had an odd look on his face.

“He really likes you,” Matt said. Then he cracked into a grin. “Clearly Kie can tell you’re really rad, Tech. And Kie’s the best at telling when people are good or bad.”

“Well, thank you, Kie,” Techie said, looking down at Kie, who cooed with contentment.

“Alright… thanks for telling me, Tech. Hell, I wish I could stay, but work calls.” Matt sounded super unhappy to leave. Techie wasn’t really happy to see him leave.

Matt leaned in and kissed the top of Kie’s head, making Techie’s heart rate shoot up. Techie’s non-existent uterus skipped a beat. Men who adored their children were so stupidly sexy to Techie. Even without all the other amazing things Matt was, Techie would have been smitten just because of how he cared for Kieertish. But all the rest meant Techie was so, so screwed.

“You take care, Kie,” Matt said to Kie, who giggled happily and snuggled right back into Techie

“Have a good day,” Techie said. “And Matt,” he added quickly while Matt straightened up.

“Yeah, Tech?” Matt asked.

“I think you’re really awesome too. You’re really nice, even though your brother’s kind of an ass. And you love Kieertish so much, and work so hard to support him and you brother. And you still come to eat lunch with him as much as you can. I think you’re really great.” Techie was grinning like a fool.

Matt just stared at Techie with his mouth open for a moment. Then his cheek turned faintly pink. He nodded and turned and walked out. Normally, Techie would fret that he’d said the wrong thing, but he was so, so certain that he’d said the right thing.

“Oh, Kie, let’s go have a good day,” Techie said. Kie trilled in agreement as Techie turned and headed into the playroom.

* * *

The trouble started about a week later.

It started with little things, although Techie supposed the first sign, or at least the first one he noticed was Armie’s knick knack. That wasn’t the last time that Techie had Kie stay over at night. Nor was it the last time he would get distracted and suddenly find that Kie was rolling around the giant glass bauble. He couldn’t blame Kie for liking it. It was beautiful and had interesting colors on the inside. The problem was that Techie knew it was on a very high shelf. He even moved it higher after the second time he found Kie with it.

But that didn’t change the fact that every time Kie came over he somehow found a way to get the stupid glass ball, and Techie had no idea how he did it.

But it was like someone turned on the lights in his mind. He suddenly saw things at the daycare he never had before. To begin with, more than once he would put a toy away only for Kie to have it not too long afterwards. At one point Kie had taken a toy from another boy and Techie had to take it away from both of them because they ended up fighting over it. Five minutes later it was off the high shelf where Techie kept the “No No” toys after a fight. There was a timer on the shelf, and a strict twenty minute cool down before the toys off the shelf could be given to any child. None of the workers had taken it off, and the timer had still been counting down minutes.

Other little things started to happen as well.

A little girl sat down and cried after another child had pushed her down. Before Techie could get over to care for her, Kie touched her and she just stopped crying. It was odd, but odder still that it happened two more times that day with other kids, including one with a scraped knee.

It was actually a little frightening.

And Techie realized more than once he’d meant to do something else but that instead he ended up holding Kie for hours while he napped. Techie worked very hard to not play favorites, but it seemed like he spent way more time with Kieertish, even though he planned to not.

Techie didn’t tell anyone, though. He didn’t tell Armitage, who didn’t believe in anything weird happening that couldn’t be explained with science or people being stupid. He didn’t tell Matt either. Because, what could he tell him? What could he even say he was accusing Kieertish of? And who else would he tell? Was a child doing really weird things normal? Was Kie even doing it? Techie had a hard time believing anyone else was.

Techie wasn’t certain what to do.

“You okay Tech?” Matt asked him one day at lunch, cutting through his deep thoughts. Techie had more than enough hands that he could take lunch with Matt and Kieertish, who was happily cooing over his fruit.

“Why do you ask?” Techie asked. His eyes zoomed on Matt, examining him for any facial tell that might show what Matt was thinking.

“Don’t need to put me under the microscope. You were just really, really deep in thought,” Matt said. Techie found himself blushing. There was no reason for him to be so on edge… well, there was. But it probably wasn’t Matt’s fault. Probably.

Techie let out a deep sigh. “Sorry, Matt. I just… I don’t know what to say,” he admitted.

“To me?”

“To anyone,” Techie said. “It’s just… kind of weird but also delicate.”

“Oh,” Matt said. He looked away, down at Kieertish. Techie’s heart clenched, afraid that Matt realized he meant it was about Kie.

“It’s just… important, about someone I really care about. And I’m not certain it’s really a thing. Maybe I’m just… making something out of nothing,” Techie said quietly.

Matt’s hand slammed down on the table, making a loud and jarring noise. Techie jumped, and looking up at Matt who had smacked his hand over one of the pieces of fruit he’s brought with him.

“What?” Techie asked.

“Sorry, stupid thing rolled away,” Matt said. He offered Techie a small, but somewhat sarcastic smile. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No harm done,” Techie said. He looked away toward his own meal, only to notice that his own pieces of fruit was actually floating. He looked back at Matt, wondering if he saw. But Matt was looking at him. Then Techie’s eyes were drawn toward Kie, who was reaching for the piece of fruit. Techie looked back and realized in horror that the fruit was starting to float toward Kie.

Techie slammed his hand down, grabbing the fruit and shoving it against the table.

“The hell?” Matt asked.

“You must have jarred the table. My fruit was also rolling away,” Techie said.

“Oh,” Matt said. He looked back at his lunch. Techie looked back at Kieertish who looked annoyed. He reached out again. Matt’s fruit started to move, but Matt just placed his hand on it, stopping it before it could do much more than get off the table.

“Matt?” Techie asked in a whisper. Matt’s head whipped up, and there was a certain level of fear in his eyes.

“It’s… can we talk this evening? When you come to get Kie? I… uh, there’s a thing. My thing. The one I’m all fluff headed about. I know we’re not really friends yet or anything, but-”

“Yet?” Matt asked quietly. Oh Hell, he was smirking. Techie’s heart jumped. He loved that look on Matt’s face. It looked so good.

“Yeah. But we get along. And I think maybe you can help me with my problem. Do you have a few minutes to help me out this evening? We can talk in the office.”

Matt’s smirk turned to a smile. “Yeah, I can do that, Tech.”

Techie was pretty certain he blushed the rest of the way through lunch. But after that he kept a very close eye on Kieertish, looking for odd things to happen. He wasn’t at all surprised when he noticed Kieertish floating toys over rather than going to get them himself, or flying the toy ships around without touching them.

Whenever Techie caught him doing this he would take the toy and carry it to Kieertish, or pluck the ship out of the air and pretend to make it fly, trying to get Kieertish to stop being so obvious about it. Really, Techie was wondering if Kieertish had been doing this all along or if Techie had just somehow not noticed.

Either way he was very tired when the day was over.

He let the other staff and droid do clean up and Techie carried Kieertish to the Office. “I have a parent teacher meeting,” Techie said when he saw his brother still milling around.

“Do you need me to stay?” Armie asked, raising a brow.

“No, it’s just Matt,” Techie said.

“Well, in that case, I’ll be going,” Armie said. He barely stopped to grab his coat before he headed out.

Techie sat in Armie’s chair and settled Kie on his lap, allowing Kie to play with his fingers while he waited for Matt to show up.

“Master Techie, your appointment has arrived,” one of the droids said. Techie looked up and smiled when he saw Matt at the door.

“Thank you A7,” Techie said. “You can come in, Matt.”

Kieertish reached for his father. Techie handed the toddler over, watching as Matt hugged the small boy to his chest and kissed the top of his head. Matt settled in the seat next to Techie instead of across the desk like a lot of parents would. But then, there was something between him and Matt that made them not just a parent and daycare worker. Maybe it was the connection they both had to Kie. Maybe it was something else. Whatever it was, Techie knew it was right for Matt to sit there like that.

“So, what’s this big thing that you need to talk to me about?” Matt asked, a little smile on his face. Techie felt guilty as soon as he saw it. Matt had no idea what he really wanted.

“Has Kieertish been tested for being Force Sensitive?” Techie asked.

As he suspected, the smile dropped right off Matt’s face, and he held Kieertish a little tighter. “Why?” Matt asked, sounding defensive.

“Because I think he might be,” Techie said.

“And why do you think that?” Matt demanded. He looked tense all over and he seemed to be trying to hide Kieertish against his chest. Techie’s heart dropped into his stomach.

“I’ve seen him move things,” Techie said. “Today at lunch, and probably other times. He keeps finding way to get things that should be impossible for him to get. And he can soothe other kids just by touching them… and I’m pretty certain he’s been making me hold him longer when he’s trying to sleep. I’m not even certain he realizes he’s doing it. But that just means he’s really, really strong.”

Matt had gone white as a sheet. He looked down at Kieertish, and Techie had the distinct impression that he saw tears in his eyes.

“Matt?” Techie asked.

“I don’t need to test him. I already know he’s Force Sensitive,” Matt said quietly. He loosened his hold on Kieertish, and looked down at him. Kie was still mostly blocked by Matt’s arms, but Techie could hear Kie’s soothing coo. “It’s just too soon.”

“He is a little young to go to the temple,” Techie agreed.

“He can’t go to the Temple,” Matt said.

“Well, they won’t make you,” Techie said.

“No, I mean, he can’t go,” Matt said. There was a real, true edge of fear in his voice.

“Matt… what’s wrong?” Techie asked. He felt a certain amount of fear thrum in his heart. The look on Matt’s face scared him. There was something deeply wrong.

“Ren is really powerful in the Force. He… used to live at the Temple. But then he ran away when he was a teen,” Matt said quietly.

“And he went and found you?” Techie asked. “Did your parents not welcome him back?”

“They… aren’t my parents,” Matt said. “And I was… I wasn’t born then.”

“You weren’t- but you look like the same age.”

“Rapid aging does that,” Matt said bitterly.

“Rapid- but Matt, the only time rapid aging happens is with Clones,” Techie protested.

Matt looked up, meeting his gaze. Techie felt like the ground had dropped out from under him.

“You’re a clone,” Techie whispered.

“More like a failed experiment. Being Force Sensitive doesn’t pass to Clones… Ren has a teacher… and his teacher wants other students. I was… a mistake, but they went after a Force Sensitive child, and well, he’s too young. But I’ve been here to raise him, keep him out of Ren’s way.”

Now Techie felt the blood drain from his own face. “But he’s getting very strong,” Techie said quietly.

“And the Teacher will want him soon… And if I take him to the temple-”

“They’ll know… is Kie’s life in danger?” Techie asked. Was Matt’s?

“If I take him to the temple, it could be,” Matt said. “Does anyone else know about this?”

“No,” Techie said. “No one’s noticed anything and I haven’t said anything to anyone. And I won’t.”

Matt nodded. He looked down at Kie, who reached up for his face. Matt lowered his head and kissed the top of Kie’s head.

“It’s terrible, knowing you have no way to protect the person you love most,” Matt said, quietly.

“I’ll help,” Techie said. Matt flicked his gaze up to him, disbelief clear on his face. “I will, Matt. I’ll cover for him. We both will. And then we can think of something else we can do. He doesn’t have to be taken away, and he’s still really young. Like I said, I don’t think the temple would even take him yet. He’s too young to be taken away, even with how strong he is.”

“You think so?” Matt asked.

“I do,” Techie said. “If you really got the job because he was too much trouble to look after in the first place-” Matt nodded so Techie pressed on. “Then you still need to be his caretaker. And I’ll make certain no one else finds out and we’ll figure out a plan from there, okay?”

“You’re really willing to help us?”

“I adore Kie,” Techie said. “Seeing him is one of the best parts of my day.”

Matt smiled just a little. “Thank you...” He just clearly didn’t know what to say, but that was okay.

“I care about him a lot too, Matt. And I care about you. I’ll help you. Just tell me what days you can come after and we’ll talk on those days. We’ll work out some plan of some kind. I promise.”

Matt let out a shaky breath. “Okay Techie, I’ll trust you.”

Techie felt a touch of warmth blossom in his chest. “Good.”

* * *

Now that Techie was certain that there was something going on it was even more obvious. Things floated to Kieertish a lot. Not only that, but what Techie had always assumed was a normal childish preference for people over droids was possibly just that Kie couldn’t use mind tricks on droids. Techie saw more than one worker holding onto Kie for far longer than they would hold onto anyone else. Techie was almost fine with the mind tricks (even though they had way worse and more trouble implications for the future) because they were at least subtle. Moving things around the room could only be ignored for so long.

Something else became obvious to Techie each day: Kieertish was incredibly powerful and he learned more and more control each day. More than once he couldn’t help but think with frustration that it would be better if they could get help from the temple, since they at least might be able to either curb what Kie did, or help them. At the very least they wouldn’t have to be so scared all the time.

But Techie had lived in terrible situations before. He knew how to focus on reality instead of what he wished would be.

So he plucked floating things out of the air and brought them over to Kie, or took them away where Kie couldn’t see where they were. He took Kie from the arms of people the toddler had mind tricked. He monitored when Kie or another child got too quiet. And besides that he plotted.

It would also be easier if they could bring Armie in on the planning. He’d probably come up with a great plan. But it was likely the plan would involve taking the child off and training it or something. Armie had always believed in their father’s plans of training children from birth to be good soldiers. But Kie shouldn’t be a soldier.

Techie wasn’t even certain Kie should be a Jedi. Jedi were far off and distant and cold. They’d led armies and gotten rid of the Chancellor of the Senate when it had been behind the Clone Wars. They were powerful and scary and an individual like Kieertish would simply be swallowed up by an organization like that. Techie wanted to see the type of man Kie would grow up to be with Matt’s love and care. He would be a good man, because Matt was a good man.

Some days, in the middle of plotting or watching the kids and Kie, Techie would remember that Matt was a clone. He was a failed clone who was supposed to be another force user like Ren. Instead he was as Null as Techie and Armie. Maybe Ren had grown up in a loving environment, but Matt sure hadn’t. And yet Matt still knew how to love. He was even more remarkable than Techie had first though.

Learning the truth had done absolutely nothing to abate Techie’s crush on Matt. If anything, it just seemed to have made it worse.

It wasn’t like there was daycare worker’s pledge to a code of ethics or anything. But it was generally a good idea to not get too involved with the family of one of the children you were caring for. The child aged out of his care. Or the family would just stop bringing them. Techie would remember them, but they would never remember him. If anything, he was just a warmer version of the care droids he had. Every bit as forgettable and ignorable.

But Kieertish had his heart now. And so did Matt. If Techie was being honest with himself, he knew how he felt about Matt was more than just a crush. It was far beyond that now.

“Techie, are you okay?” Armitage asked, pulling him aside near the end of the day. Techie was holding Kie, not because he had to, but simply because he wanted to give Kie as much love as he could. Techie was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to help save Kieertish, no matter what he told Matt. He wanted Kie to get as much love as he could while he could

“I… I have a problem, Armie,” Techie whispered. Around his eyes started to itch more than normal. That meant he wanted to cry. His tear glands had been damaged. They were somewhat healed, but it took a lot to get a real cry. But the itching was a sure sign that he would be normally.

“Let’s talk in the office,” Armitage said instantly. He grabbed Techie’s arm and started to steer him toward the office.

Techie didn’t even argue about being dragged about. Kieertish was patting his shoulder. Techie kissed his forehead. ‘It’s okay’ he thought. ‘It’s okay Kie. I’ll be okay. Armie will make it better’. He couldn’t be certain, but Kieertish seemed to understand. He didn’t try to change Techie’s feelings. He just settled against Techie’s chest. Techie couldn’t help but think he really, truly belonged there.

Armie quickly got them to the office. He locked the door and closed the blinds, paranoid from the years he’d lived a military life on the fringe of the galaxy. But Techie always felt better when Armie did it too. It was harder for them to be seen. And with Armie, Techie never felt like he was in danger. Armie would rip out MaMa’s eyes before she could get near him… well he would if Armie hadn’t already done so.

“What is it, Techie?” Armie asked, moving to usher Techie onto the sofa and to sit next to him.

“I’m in love with Matt,” Techie said, dropping his face so his hair was covering his eyes and he wouldn’t have to see whatever unimaginable expression was on his big brother’s face.

“Matt? As in Matt the Radar Technician Matt?” Armie asked. He sounded a disgusted. Kie let out an annoyed trill. He could probably feel that Armie didn’t like his father.

“Be nice, Armie. Matt’s kind, and well, you have a type, but so do I.”

“Okay, okay,” Armie soothed. He rubbed Techie’s arm. Armitage used to be so bad at giving an affection, but he’d learned. And Techie had learned to accept it. They’d learned together. “I mean, I guess he’s dependable anyway.”

“He is,” Techie said. He did look up. Armitage had a frown on his face. “Are you thinking I could do better?”

“Always,” Armie said with a deep sigh. “But I don’t see why this is a problem.”

“There’s… complications,” Techie said. “Do you really think Ren is going to stay here forever?”

Armitage suddenly looked very uncomfortable and even sad. Techie shifted Kie in his arms so he could still hold the baby and also lay a hand on his brother’s knee.

“Armie?”

“He asked me to come with him,” Armitage said quietly.

“Oh, Armie,” Techie whispered. On one hand, he felt sick at the thought of losing his protection. He needed Armie too much. At least it felt like he did. On the other hand, he couldn’t justify to himself keeping Armitage there when he knew he wanted to be anywhere else. And under that, Techie was terrified that Ren was going to take Matt and Kie away.

“I told him no,” Armitage said. He looked unhappy about it.

“Do you want to go?”

“He… Stars, he just has all these plans and ideas. Most of them are stupid, but some of them.” Techie knew that look. He hugged Kieertish a little closer to his chest. He had to fight to keep himself from blurting out something like ‘don’t take my baby away from me’. Whatever Ren told him, it probably didn’t have much to do with Matt or Kie.

“You could go,” Techie said softly.

“Then who would protect you, then?”

“If Matt stayed-”

Armitage snorted. “Like he’d know how to balance a budget.”

“He’d know better than Ren would.”

“That isn’t a rousing endorsement, Techie,” Armie said with sarcasm just dripping from his tone.

“Well, maybe it’s better than you being miserable,” Techie said. “You know you’d rather be back with the Order, instead of here. You hate Coruscant and all it stands for.”

Armitage looked at him like he was considering Techie for the first time. When he began to speak it was very slowly. “You know something, don’t you?”

“I do,” Techie said. He made a pained expression. “And that’s why it’s complicated… Armitage, if you run off with Ren, I’m still going to love you. But I can’t support you. I just can’t.”

Armie’s face had settled into a blank mask, with hard eyes. But Techie knew that meant his brother was upset. Armie wanted Techie to believe in his cause. Techie guessed maybe Armitage had hoped being stuck in the capital of the Republic would make Techie hate it all too. But Techie didn’t hate it at all. If anything, it made him much more uncomfortable with the First Order.

Armie had been raised in the First Order. He’d been raised with those punished for following Sheev Palpatine, and who had been parts of the Separatist Alliance. He’d lived on the edge of Outer Rim, near the Wild Space. He’d suffered because of the Republic. But Techie had suffered because of those who hated the Republic. MaMa was a criminal and had come to power in the vacuum left by one warlord killing another. The Republic was why Armitage found him, chasing a lead until he found a bunch of Republic guards trying to get information on MaMa.

Living in the Republic and on Coruscant was safer for Techie. There were laws and protections. It wasn’t all equal and there were severe problems. But there seemed to be less criminals in power. Techie would never feel safe raising a child in the Wild Space. But he happily helped to provide care for so many kids. He could make life a little better in this corner of the galaxy.

And Armie wanted to destroy what there was, throw it all into chaos. Techie couldn’t see how that could be a good thing at all.

“You’re telling me to go, aren’t you?” Armitage asked. “You’re really telling me to go.”

Techie felt fear shoot down his spine, but he nodded. “I am Armie. I’ll figure out how to do the rest of this. But you want to go. I think you might actually love Kylo Ren. And he’s offering you a chance to do the thing you want the most.”

“Which is something you hate,” Armitage pointed out. “It will change all of this.”

“Probably… but things always change. I’m just going to be here trying to make a stable environment for the children,” Techie said.

“If it’s in my power, I will protect you,” Armie pledged.

“I know,” Techie said. “You’re better at being a parent to me than father ever was.”

Armie turned faintly pink. There was pleasure so obvious in his eyes. It made Techie sad. If Armie had been able to be raised by their mother, then maybe he would have been happy to just be a father and run a daycare. But he hadn’t been. And he’d spent too much time striving against an image their father built for him. That he could break out enough to stop and take care of Techie was something of a miracle, one doubted would happen a second time.

“We’ll spend time getting you ready to deal with my side of the business,” Armie said. “I won’t leave you unprepared.”

“I know you won’t,” Techie said. “You’d never leave me if you didn’t think I would be safe.”

“As safe as the galaxy allows anyway,” Armie said.

Kie cooed in his arms. Techie felt oddly content. Armie thought he actually could take care of himself. Techie couldn’t remember the last time anyone had believed in him like that, even himself. He looked down at Kie, who just looked happy. Maybe someone else had faith in him as well. Maybe Techie actually could do this. Maybe he could protect Matt and Kie and keep the daycare running.

Maybe there was a chance.

* * *

“My brother is going with Ren,” Techie said once he got Matt tugged into the office. This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to be overheard.

“He told you?” Matt asked.

“Armitage has been training me to be certain I can take over for him,” Techie explained.

“Oh,” Matt said.

“Are you leave too?” Techie asked.

“I never know until the day they leave,” Matt admitted.

“Well, how about we see if Armitage can argue for us. Stable environment and all that. Heck, he’ll probably be happy to have you stay near me, just so he’ll know I’m safe while he’s away.”

“You mean that?” Matt asked.

“It can’t hurt to ask,” Techie said. “Maybe they won’t really need Kie.”

“They’ll come for him anyway eventually,” Matt said quietly.

Techie sighed deeply. He still was no closer on an idea to save Kieertish, but he hadn’t give up.

“Well, this will give us more time,” Techie said with a smile he didn’t quite feel. Matt was drooping a little and he hated that.

“More time,” Matt echoed.

“More time,” Techie repeated.

“Okay. Let’s try it,” Matt said.

* * *

“You want what exactly?” Armitage asked.

“Tell them to leave Matt and Kieertish with me,” Techie said. “You’re worried about me being protected.”

“I’m not certain leaving anyone from Ren’s genepool to live with you is a good idea.”

“Armie,” Techie said, not amused.

“You have a crush on him.”

“Which I don’t think he even notices,” Techie said. “And with his extra income it’ll help me with rent.”

“He doesn’t make that much.”

“Yeah, but also Kieertish will have a good place to stay.”

Armie eyed him suspiciously. “You aren’t supposed to get that attached to the kids, Techie.”

“So what?” Techie asked. “It’s too late now. I want Kie to be happy and safe.”

“You’re acting like a second parent, not just a care taker.”

Techie’s chest felt warm at that very idea. Even if he couldn’t be Matt’s boyfriend, he wished he could be Kie’s other dad. He wanted to give Kieertish all the love there was to be had. He didn’t want Kie to turn out like Armie. No child deserved that. Even though Techie loved and adored his brother, he didn’t want to see any other children broken and forged the way Armitage had been.

“So what?” Techie asked again. “I love Kieertish. If- when he does go away, I’ll be the one that’s hurt. But until then, I want him to have a loving home.”

“Do you know ab-” Armitage started

“Don’t ask what you don’t want to know,” Techie said quietly.

There was respect in Armitage’s eyes. Techie knew he was selfish. He knew in vague strokes what Armitage was going to try for. But he wouldn’t tell anyone because he cared more about his brother than just about anyone. Armie had an idea that Techie didn’t want Kie to go to Ren and whoever Ren’s Master was. But Armie would never say anything.

They were both Huxs after all.

“Okay. I’ll make sure it happens,” Armie promised. Techie knew he always kept his promises.

* * *

Matt looked at him like he was god for at least a month, maybe two. Techie would have bet credits that Matt had never actually lived in such a nice place. Of course Kieertish just moved right in like he owned the place. But Techie wasn’t certain if Kie didn’t already just think it was his second home already.

Armitage didn’t take everything he’d accrued since they moved to Coruscant. But he packed the rest of it up and left in in a couple of boxes in the closet of what became Matt’s room. Techie’s room was the least ideal place for a toddler ever, since he filled it with his little wire sculptures, busted droids he liked fixing (mostly of the mouse variety) and tons of cables which he used to connect to the holonet and quietly crack into things for fun.

When Techie had babysat for Kie he’d kept Kie in the living room and slept on the sofa. Once they moved in, Kie slept in Matt’s room, although they kept the other crib Matt had from his old place in the living room. It reminded more of a little barrier for a pet, since it lay on the floor, had a padded bottom and plenty of room to move around in. Kie could also levitate himself over it.

“I’d rather have him levitate than attempt to climb and fall and hurt himself,” Matt said. That told Techie a lot about how good Kie’s control of the Force actually was.

Life moved into something different. Techie finished one of the droids he had lying around in the apartment before Armie left, and Armie programmed it to keep the books and to answer about any question Techie might have about what Armie used to take care of at the business. Armie modified a mouse droid to do the same at home.

Techie was pretty certain Armie had already had lists and lists written of this information way before he considered leaving. Armitage was always one to make plans. He was always prepared in the face of just about anything. It certainly made picking up where Armitage left off easier. But Techie still tended to work longer hours.

Matt often would come and get Kieertish and take him home a few hours before Techie would get home. Matt was a really good cook, way better than Techie expected. It was impressive as it was gratifying the first time Techie came home to delicious smells and a fully set table.

“I had no idea you cooked,” Techie said. Although all the perfectly packed lunches Matt sent with Techie should have been an indication.

“I could make a joke like ‘with Ren, it’s either that or starve’, but really, he’s a wonderful chef and taught me everything I know. He’s just super lazy so I got a lot of practice,” Matt said. Kie was already in his highchair, munching on a salad without dressing as happy as any baby could be. The very domestic nature of it made Techie’s heart twist.

“Armie’s used to living on starvation rations,” Techie said. “It wasn’t like I knew a lot, but I decided I didn’t want to eat like that and downloaded a bunch of cook books.”

“Mmm, smart man,” Matt said, starting to spoon dinner onto plates. He balanced three on his arms and walked them over to the table. Matt had a lot more grace than really should have been possible. But then, so did Ren. Techie wondered if Matt had been trained to.

“So… I was reading about clones,” Techie hedged. “And the aging factor.”

“And the chips, right?” Matt asked a little sourly.

Techie winced. The chips were a well-known part of Republic history, when the Kaminoans had installed chips which overrode the brain functions of Clones and made them attack the Jedi they’d been serving with. The problems were that Clones were human beings with minds of their own and one of them had figured out the truth and gotten the information to the famous Generals Skywalker and Kenobi. That information had led to the attempted arrest, very public duel and then death of the Chancellor and Sith Lord who had been orchestrating the entire thing.

Clones were still made based on the original DNA of Jango Fett, but the plants were controlled by other clones instead of the Kaminoans who were found to be complicit in the effort to create a war for profit. Clones were no longer rapid aged and were given a stint of mandatory guard or army duty before they’d be allowed to live their own lives doing as they wished. Some chose to stay on as guards and soldiers. And many other planets had accepted Clones as a part of their armies and guards.

But Clones that weren’t made from Jango Fett’s DNA were something different. There was no way Matt came from Kamino or any of the related plants.

“I actually hadn’t thought about it until you just said it,” Techie said. Matt turned faintly pink.

“I don’t have a chip,” Matt said. “And the aging factor only got me to Ren’s age and then was reversed by a pretty gnarly virus. It sucked a lot.”

“So you’re like… what, 10?”

“Last week was my 16th hatch day, actually,” Matt said. “Ren was still pretty young when this all started.”

“Wow,” Techie said quietly.

Matt shrugged. “It is what it is.” 

“Well, we should still celebrate,” Techie insisted. “After all, it’s not everyday you reach your 16th hatchday.”

Matt actually smiled and Techie felt his ears get hot. Matt had such a great face and an even greater smile. It was such a shame that Matt rarely smiled. If he did it was usually reserved for Kie. But this smile was specifically for Techie. Techie may have snapped a picture with his cybernetic eyes so he could look at the image later. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever celebrated a hatchday before,” Matt mused. 

“Well, it will set a good example for Kie,” Techie said.

Matt made a face that looked like he tried to scowl and smile at the same time. Techie grinned. He was pretty sure that was exactly what happened.

“I hate that you can use Kie against me like that,” Matt said with a voice that was all grump. 

Techie smiled wider. “Is that a yes?” 

Matt let out a long suffering sigh. “Okay, yes. But you know this also means we’re going to throw you a big birthday celebration too.” 

“I think I can agree to that,” Techie said. He got Kie settled into his high chair. It was his night to make certain Kie ate. They swapped off nights so neither of them would be constantly eating cold food. Not that Kie didn’t mainly feed himself now. He just got distracted a lot and sometimes getting him back on track took somework.

After dinner, Techie took Kie to the bath for his nighty swim and Matt stayed to wash the dishes. Sometimes Matt came in after he finished, so Techie didn’t jump anymore when he heard Matt come into the bathroom during bathtime. Techie was leaning against the tub, watching Kie was around happily when he heard Matt clear his throat. 

“What… what would a match day celebration involve?” Matt asked. 

Techie turned a little to look at Matt. Matt had his arms crossed over his chest, and he was in one of his many, many tight fitting shirts and a pair of pants that were really his ever present jumpsuit tied around his waist. Techie knew Matt had other pants, he just didn’t seem to like them much.

“A cake, presents,” Techie said. “Maybe going out and doing something fun. We could actually get a babysitter for Kie for a night if you’d like to go do something.”

Matt hesitated for a minute. “Maybe?”

Techie turned around a little more, leaning against the tub. “Is there something you have in mind?”

“There… there is something I want,” Matt said. He walked the rest of the way over and knelt next to Techie, facing the tub. 

“Oh?” Techie asked. He couldn’t ever remember a time when Matt even indicated he wanted something that didn’t relate to Kie. It excited him a little that Matt trusted him enough to actually tell him something he wanted.

“Yeah,” Matt said, looking away from Techie.

“Yeah? What is it?” Techie got up on his knees and leaned in closer to Matt, eager to learn what Matt seemed so shy to ask for. Whatever it is, Techie would find a way to get it if it was at all possible. 

Matt crossed the very small distance between them and placed his lips on Techie’s. Techie had been so eager to hear that he didn’t even notice Matt moving until Matt was kissing him. And then he was so surprised, and the kisses was so short that he didn’t have time to react before Matt pulled back.

“I, I wanted to do that,” Matt said. He sat back, keeping his gaze down. He looked so nervous. “I’m sorry. I should have asked first, shouldn’t I?”

Techie had never seen Matt so nervous. He dumbly shook his head side to side while he attempted to find his words.

“Techie?” Matt asked. He sounded so miserable. That wasn’t what Techie wanted.

Techie got up on his knees and crossed the space between them, crawling right into Matt’s lap. He was a Hux, and Huxes were bold. And Matt liked him. Techie couldn’t have him thinking her wasn’t wanted. Techie grabbed both sides of Matt’s face and dragged him into a kiss. It was a little too forceful, and Techie ended up smacking their teeth together a little, but Matt still kissed him back. 

“I’ve wanted to kiss you from the first second I saw you,” Techie said when they pulled away. He still had his hands on Matt’s face, cupping his jawline. Matt had a wonderful bone structure. 

“So… it was okay?” Matt asked. 

“I hope you’ll want to kiss me many, many more times.” Bad times in Techie’s life taught him how to be coy and flirty. He didn’t use it much because it reminded him of those bad times. But while the memories surfaced, Techie brushed them aside and gave Matt his best coy, flirty smile. 

Matt turned absolutely pink, much to Techie’s joy. 

“H-how many more times?” Matt asked. Techie had never heard Matt stammer before. 

“Whatever you’re number you’re thinking of, it’s a lot more than that,” Techie said. Then he kissed Matt again. Matt melted against him. 

“Happy Birthday to me, then,” Matt breathed out when they seperated. 

Techie smiled brightly. “Best Birthday present I can think to give.” 

Matt grinned right back. “Yeah. That.” 

Techie laughed and kissed Matt again. He couldn’t think of a better way to end a day.

* * *

Something just clicked into place for them after that. Techie thought of Matt and Kie as his family, just as much as Armitage was. Techie took Kie into work with him, and Matt picked him up. When Techie came home, Matt would have dinner started or nearly done. They’d have dinner, bath time for Kie (and kissing time for the two of them) and then they would put Kie to bed. After Kie was asleep they would go to the living room and move from gentle kisses to actual making out. When their own bedtime hit, they tended to go to Matt’s room, since Kie was there and they could hear if something was wrong. 

They were debating about getting a baby monitor. They’d need it for whenever they got to sex. But right now neither of them were willing to leave Kie completely alone all night. More than once one of them woke up to find at least one thing was floating. The most memorable floating incident involved Techie waking up a meter off the bed, actually floating over Matt. 

After that neither of them were willing to leave Kie alone for any reason. Techie started to try and make a droid just to watch Kie at daycare, but he hadn’t quite finished when The Incident happened. 

The Incident, as they called it almost as soon as it happened involved Kie actually floating himself across the room to Matt when Matt came over for lunch. Both Matt and Techie grabbed Kie, and Matt took Kie home early that day. Techie stayed and kept an eye and ear out for any of the other workers having seen. But no one said anything, so Techie allowed himself to relax. His workers seemed to be gossips, so he assumed to would hear if one of them had seen something. 

They didn’t have a plan for if someone had seen, but Techie and Matt had put their minds to it, so Techie assumed they’d come up with something. 

And after all, after three days of nothing, Techie assumed they were in the clear for the moment. 

Oh how wrong he was.

* * *

Somehow of all the horrible things Techie had seen and heard in his life, nothing was as terrifying as the words “Hello, my name is Luke Skywalker, and I think your son may be Force Sensitive.” 

Luke Skywalker was absolute legend, more so even than his father because of the sweeping changes Luke made to the Jedi, and the openness he approached the world with. At twenty three and freshly knighted, Luke Skywalker had walked right up to a reporter, told everyone he was in love and that he was a person and not some far off figure that had no emotions. After the Clone Wars the Jedi had become terribly closed off, but Luke Skywalker turned it all around. 

So of course Techie knew who he was. And having someone that well known coming to look for Kie was scary enough. But Luke identified Kieertish as his son, not just as one of his students or the kids he cared for. Luke Skywalker knew who he was, knew how close he was to Kieertish and possibly even Matt. 

Techie felt all blood drain from his face and Luke Skywalker had to prop him up so he wouldn’t simply fall over and pass out. The man half carried him back to his office like he’d been there a thousand times.

Techie allowed himself to drop into his desk chair. Luke Skywalker sat down across from him like he was just a regular parent. It made Techie feel like he was having a heart attack. 

“How did you find out?” Techie asked. 

“Kids don’t normally float themselves across a room. Not even Jedi crechelings,” Luke Skywalker said with a far too kind smile. He just exuded kindness. It made Techie want to cry. “We won’t take him against your will.” 

Techie leaned forward and placed his face in his hands. He sat there silently for a long moment. It was all over. Their family was over when it had only just begun. Techie dropped his hands from his face and he picked up his comm. 

“Matt,” he said, leaving the SOS message. “Come here please.” He set the comm down and turned it off. Matt would be there as fast as he could. And he’d know. Techie took a long sigh. It wasn’t a shaky breath. He knew this feeling. It was resignation. 

“Master Skywalker, if we don’t give him to you, he’ll be taken from us anyway,” Techie said. 

Luke Skywalker’s eyebrows headed toward his hairline. “Is there something wrong?” 

“I’ll explain when my partner arrives. Can I make you tea?” he offered. 

“Yes, that sounds nice,” Luke Skywalker said. 

That was a kindness in its own way. It allowed Techie to leave for a moment. It gave him space, and time and something to do with his hands. He made tea and put together a plate of cookies and carried both the tea tray and the cookies back to his office. 

Neither of them spoke as they ate. They sipped their tea and remained silent. Techie observed that Luke Skywalker liked to dunk his cookies before he ate them.

A half hour passed before Matt arrived. Both Techie and Luke Skywalker had finished the first pot of tea and begun a second by the time Matt burst into the office. The look on Matt’s face was the same true terror that Techie had when he’d first seen Luke Skywalker. What surprised Techie was that Luke Skywalker looked just as pale. 

“Ben?” Luke Skywalker stood up, looking like he’d seen a ghost. 

Techie moved around Matt, shutting the door. Matt looked so confused. Sure, he was still scared, but there was a deep look of confusion on his face. 

“Matt,” Matt said. “I…” 

“Ben, we’ve been looking for you,” Luke Skywalker said. “I know you. I was there when you were born… but why can’t I feel you?” 

Matt looked even more confused. “You can’t feel me?” 

“Not… I mean I can feel you, but you feel null. I can’t feel your strength,” Luke Skywalker said. His voice hedged on slightly hysterical. 

“Your… Ben… did he… did he run away as a teenager?” Matt asked. 

“Yes. He said he was having visions and-”

“And hearing voices,” Matt finished. 

“You aren’t him,” Luke Skywalker said. He moved to stand right in front of Matt. “But you do feel like him. But also not. Even without feeling Ben’s strength.” 

“I’m… I’m a clone,” Matt said. No, he whispered it. “He calls himself something else… are you his family?”

“Oh Ben,” Luke Skywalker whispered. Then he offered Matt a sad smile. “I think you have it a little wrong. I’m your family. Both of you.” 

“But, I’m a clone. I don’t have family.” 

“You have me,” Techie found himself saying. He maybe should have found it odd that it was that moment he unfroze from his stupor, but he didn’t. “And you have Kie.” 

“And as Ben Solo’s exact genetic replica, you are also related to me and my sister and Han. And that makes you family,” Luke Skywalker said. 

“Oh,” Ben said quietly. “Oh… Master Skywalker-”

“Luke,” Luke Skywalker corrected. 

“Luke,” Ben pressed on. “Can you… Ren, Ben… whatever, he has a Master, a dark… something. And he wants to raise Kieertish to be dark and evil. And I don’t want that, but I can’t protect him. If you take him… will you promise me he’ll be safe?” 

Techie moved to stand next to Matt. He laid his hand on Matt’s shoulder. This was the last thing either of them wanted. But for the sake of Kieertish, it seemed like their only option. 

“You don’t really want to give him up,” Luke said. 

“But I need him to be safe… please. He’s a baby and they’ll do horrible things to him. I know what that… thing did to Ren. I know what he did to me. Please. Even if I can’t-” Matt’s voice caught and he couldn’t go on. 

“Even if we can’t be with him, we would rather he could be with someone who could protect and love him,” Techie finished. 

“You make it sound like we won’t allow you to see him again. Those are the old ways. I see my grandson every day,” Luke said. 

“Ren’s Master doesn’t tolerate traitors,” Matt said in barely more than a whisper. 

“I see,” Luke said. “Well, in that case, the three of you are moving into the temple today.”

“The… the three of us?” Techie squeaked out. 

“The Temple?” Matt squawked.

“Yes. Leia would skin me if anything happened to you, Matt. Especially with Ben… No.” Luke cut himself off. “No, she wouldn’t stand it if her new son she hadn’t met yet had something happen to him, or either of the parents of her first grandchild.” 

“But Non-Force users don’t live in the temple… right?” Techie asked. 

“Tell that to my husband,” Luke said with a grin. “Actually, don’t. Mara might actually kill me if I let Wedge here something like that… No, there are exceptions. Spouses, for one. But I’m certain the Creche could also use another qualified worker. I read the reviews of your daycare. It’s a lovely place from what I’ve seen as well.” 

“You mean this,” Matt said. 

“Yes, completely,” Luke said. “Shall we? We can send someone to collect your things later. But from what you’ve lead me to believe, it’s better for us to leave now than later.

“Matt, let’s go?” Techie asked. Matt turned to look at him. They studied each for a moment. It was a chance for them. A chance for more. Techie wanted it. And by the look in Matt’s eyes he wanted it as well.

“Let’s go,” Matt said. “We’ll get Kieertish and go with you.”

Luke seemed to relax. “Good. I must say, I’m looking forward to meeting my grandnephew.” 

“He’s adorable and impossible not to love,” Techie as they walked out of the office.

* * *

Epilogue. 

Matt was still asleep when Techie got up to head to work. Matt still worked nights sometimes. He was one of the few crew that worked on the Temple who wasn’t a Force User. Some people resented that, and so Matt did get some nasty shifts sometimes. The same way Techie tended to get morning duty. Maybe it wasn’t perfect, but Techie knew he wouldn’t trade it.

When he arrived at the Creche, Kieertish in his arms, Creche Master Strata was already waking the younglings. Techie nodded to his boss and went and settled Kie in a play pen before he began working on getting the other younglings dressed.

Kie wasn’t the only youngling who got dropped off in the morning. He was just the only one who also had a parent who worked in the creche. But then he was also the only one whose granduncle was the Grandmaster of the Order and whose grandmother was the president of the senate. 

And hadn’t that fact knocked both Techie and Matt for a loop. 

Sometimes Techie would get a heavily coded message from Armitage. There were no details except that Ren was still alive and still very angry and that Armie missed him greatly. 

No, it wasn’t perfect, but every day Techie was reminded that he couldn’t think of a better way for it to be.

The End!

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank my wonderful artist, [Starkickback](http://starkickback.tumblr.com/) for helping me come up with all of this, for being so supportive and incredibly patient. I also want to thank Oldmage, my husband who helped me with some of the editing and being so supportive.


End file.
